


His Brats

by kurochhii (bianxxtae101)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Birthdays, Brat in Levi language is a term of endearment, Can be taken as platonic or romantic up to you, Canon Compliant, Happy Birthday Captain Levi, Levi's Birthday (Shingeki no Kyojin), Light Swearing because it's Levi, M/M, Multi, New Levi Squad - Freeform, Non-Binary Hange Zoë, celebration, implied ereri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28292343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bianxxtae101/pseuds/kurochhii
Summary: Maybe spending his birthday with them isn't so bad. They're his brats anyway.
Relationships: Levi & Special Operations Squad | Squad Levi, Levi/Eren Yeager, Levi/Special Operations Squad | Squad Levi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 88





	His Brats

**Author's Note:**

> Few notes will be written in full detail below but right now only this: In this setting it's only Titans vs Humanity because everything is easier and much less hurtful that way... 
> 
> Anyway Happy Birthday Captain Levi!

**2 weeks before Levi's birthday**

Paperworks. Paperworks. And more, guess what? _Paperworks._

Levi swears he does _not_ want to see another sheet of paper ever again when he's done with all of these.

The scouts had just come back from another expedition outside Wall Maria. The number of titans thinned down dramatically throughout the past months so the goal of expeditions now was more on finding new and usable yards of land for humanity to expand and live in. Luckily they had found some, but it meant reports to the higher-ups, which meant fucking paperworks. 

He felt as if the stack of papers waiting at the corner of his table is bottomless. Hange seemed to enjoy passing down this responsibility to him, reasoning that they got more work that needs to be done considering they were now the new commander of the Survey Corps. 

If he didn't know better, he would assume that they were just doing this to spite him. 

_That shitty four eyes._

But then again, being busy can do some good for him as it takes his mind off of things. 

Like his birthday, which was coming up a mere two weeks from now. 

Not that he despises celebrations, nor special days. He just doesn't see the point in celebrating his own birthday, not anymore anyway with what he's doing for a living. Why would he celebrate the date of his birth when there's a high possibility of him dying the next day? It was pointless. 

He wasn't a birthday party virgin though don't get him wrong. His late friends, Isabel and Farlan, had thrown him a couple of simple celebrations for his birthday in the past, even if he told them it wasn't needed. They made sure to do it every year. 

But it all stopped upon their untimely passing, just when they had joined the Survey Corps. He hasn't told anyone about it except for Hange and Erwin and even then, they were all too busy to think about it. They both did the bare minimum though, which was to greet him albeit privately. 

In summary, Levi just got used to letting his birthday pass like any other normal day. 

"Captain?" he heard a muffled voice, along with a knock. He recognized it as Sasha's. "I've brought some tea." 

He doesn't remember ordering anyone to bring him some tea but Levi doesn't mind and even sags in relief. At least the brats were somewhat reliable. 

Had they grown? Yes. Were they all taller than him? Unfortunately, yes. But to his eyes, they're all little brats. Hange often teases him about his apparent soft spot for the members of his squad. 

_He will neither confirm nor deny that claim._

Shaking his head to clear it, "Come in." he grumbled out and gave himself the privilege to lean back on his chair and relax even for just a bit. 

"You look tired." she commented, pouring tea onto his cup. 

"You don't say." he deadpanned, lifting up the cup to take a sip. After years of being in his squad, the remaining 104th soldiers had managed to perfect almost anything that he asks of them, including how to brew his tea according to his liking. 

Their cleaning was still just tolerable though, but he supposes that's better than what they were doing when they first worked under his command... which was basically _nothing_. 

So with that, he nodded his head as thanks and dismissal. 

Only Sasha didn't leave and just continued to stare at him while gripping the tray she used to carry the tea between her hands. 

He eyed her back, "What is it?" 

Sasha shook her head which seemed to pull her out of her trance. "Nothing, sir." she answered before turning on her heel to walk towards the door. 

She took two steps before turning back. 

"Sir, if I may just ask... do you have a favorite food?" 

Levi raised his eyebrows, before raising his cup. 

Sasha blinked, "With all due respect sir but tea is not food." 

"Then what the hell do you call it?" 

"A drink, sir." 

"It's all the same to me." 

"Come on, there has to be something that you like to eat, or maybe _miss_ eating." 

Levi was quiet for a few short moments which made the young soldier sigh in defeat. She turned to walk back towards the door when Levi chose to answer. 

"Rice... but I like it more paired up with beef stew." 

Sasha's eyes perked up, before smiling wide and turning back towards her captain. "That's great!"

Levi furrowed his eyebrows. "What made you ask?" 

"Good luck with your paperwork!"

"Oi!" 

But it was heard on deaf ears as the door slammed shut. 

Levi sighed out in frustration and rubbed his face with both his hands. 

...and trying really hard to not regret recruiting a bunch of teenage brats.

* * *

**One week before Levi's birthday**

"Stupid meetings and stupid fucking idiots." Levi mumbled as he made his way towards the door of the private cabin that houses him and his squad.

He had just gone back from a meeting with Hange and some high-ranking officials from other branches of the military and he was... let's say in a _foul_ mood. Fouler than usual, anyway. 

The meeting had gone all night when it didn't have to just because some certain individuals who think they know it all were a bit apprehensive with the plan of expanding humanity outside of the walls. 

He understands why, but they hadn't seen one, let alone a herd of titans, in over a year. Plus, a base of the Survey Corps will be put near the location for safety purposes and in case anything _does_ go wrong. 

They were going around in circles that even Hange was getting a little irritated. 

He opened the door and was planning on making his way straight to his room when he heard two hushed voices, frantically talking to each other and sounding like they were starting to have an argument. He stopped the urge to groan. He was way too tired and too sleep-deprived for the brats' shenanigans. 

_"Trust me, I know this place. It'll be easier to negotiate."_

_"It's way too far, we can't go there without Captain not noticing anything."_

_"Hange-san said they'll cover for us, it'll be fine."_

_"Can we just ask the Reeves company for this?"_

_"I'm not too sure that guy'll be able to zip his mouth with this."_

Well, that caught his attention. 

He entered the kitchen to see Jean and Connie with their heads together and a piece of paper laid out in front of them. He crossed his arms and announced his presence. 

"What are you two doing?" 

"Capt-OW!" Connie exclaimed.

Upon hearing his voice, the two young men jumped to stand and greet him, but their momentum was quite stronger than they had anticipated, causing their heads to bump against each other. 

Levi just watched with a blank expression as Connie massage the side of his head while Jean clutched his nose, both groaning in pain and sitting back down on their respective chairs. 

_I am surrounded by idiots._

"You're supposed to be in training... or cleaning." Levi eyed the kitchen in slight disgust. Plates were unwashed and the stove was a mess. They must have had breakfast just before he came back. "What's that?" he then nodded towards the piece of paper. 

He saw their eyes widen in nervousness before Jean practically snatched the paper away when his captain had reached for it. 

He raised his eyebrows and looked at his subordinates in question. 

"It's... uhm..." Jean trailed off.

"It's just a list of supplies for the coming month." a new voice joined them. 

Mikasa walked towards them, a pile of firewood in her arms, Armin following close behind her. 

Levi narrowed his eyes, not quite believing the words that came out of the young Ackerman's mouth. 

If it was just a list of supplies, why were they so secretive about it? And why would the location of them getting it matter that Hange had to 'cover' for them? 

Even so, they always get supplies on the first day of every month. There's nothing wrong with being prepared, but it was too early to start thinking about restocking supplies.

Levi rubbed his temple, fighting the headache that was about to come. 

He considers calling her out for lying, but he was in a shit mood and honestly does not want to engage with any more people. Not when he had just done exactly that for a whole night unwillingly. 

"Where's the other two?" Levi asked instead. 

"Eren is cutting out some more firewood outside and Sasha is looking for some vegetables for lunch." Armin answered. 

Levi nodded in acknowledgment before turning back towards the pair sitting at the dining table. "Make sure to get me a new box of tea, the stack's running out." he indulged before leaving them and making his way towards his room.

If they _were_ going to get supplies then...what's the harm? He needs his tea. 

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Armin's eyes light up like the way it always does when he'd realized something. But when he looked at the blonde and seeing him focused on stacking the firewood neatly made him think that his eyes may just be playing a trick on him. 

He really needs to get some damn sleep. 

...he ignored the _slap_ sound he heard when he was out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Captain!" A very loud yet very familiar voice resonated. 

The door to his office was pushed open, and the owner of the said voice came bursting in without as much of a knock. 

"What have I told you about knocking?" Levi said, not even looking up from where he was busy maintaining his maneuver gear. 

Eren rolled his eyes, "Come on Levi--" 

Levi looked up at him with a stern glare. 

"What? I called you captain when I was in the hall." 

"I told you that while we're in headquarters you would be professional." he reminded him. "What'd you come bursting in here for anyway?" 

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" 

Levi raised his eyebrows, "The 25th? What about it?"

He was... a _little_ suspicious to say the least. 

Even though he and Eren had become closer over the past year, and with their relationship _definitely_ not falling under the captain/subordinate anymore, he does _not_ recall telling the other about his birthday. 

He wasn't really hiding it from the younger boy, he just... didn't ask that's all. 

Eren blinked at him before a small smile came up his face. "Nothing." he shrugged. 

Levi sighed, "You bothered me because you didn't know the fucking date?" 

Eren rolled his eyes again, not at all fazed anymore by the other's insolent language. "Do I really need to have a reason to visit you?" 

"Considering how you're supposed to be doing your duty out there with everyone else, yes you do." Levi retorted back. 

"Fine." Eren grumbled out. "But don't make plans tomorrow, okay?" 

Levi slowly looked up but saw Eren already turned back against him, preparing to leave the room. 

"Why?" 

But his question was just answered with a shrug before Eren walked out of the door, closing it with a soft _click._

He didn't miss the smile that was plastered on his face though. 

...fucking brat. 

* * *

"Where the fuck are they?" Levi sighed out as he walked along the hallways of their headquarters. 

He was looking for the members of his squad, as they were scheduled to have a meeting in preparation for what his squad will be doing and what their own mission was for the next expedition they'll have two weeks from now. 

But Levi felt like he had been walking endlessly throughout the castle and there were no signs of them. He looked at the training grounds, the stables, the storage room, and not a single brat in sight. He didn't bother going back to their cabin yet, because as far as he knew they were here. They rode here on their horses together this morning, and it was too early to go back. 

Didn't they know about the meeting?

Levi sighed once again before turning on his heel, having a new destination in mind. 

When he reached it, he didn't bother knocking or announce his presence. He yanked open the door and headed straight for the person that was sitting behind the desk. 

"To what do I owe this visit from the birthday boy?" Hange said, not looking up from where they were putting their signature at the bottom of a document. 

"Stop that and just tell me where they are."

Hange looked up at him. "Where are who?" 

Levi glared, "Everyone in my squad. I can't see them anywhere. Did you ask them to do something?" 

"Aw, look at you worrying about them." they cooed. 

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose, "Don't make me break your fucking glasses." 

"Calm down Captain Grumpypants," they ignored the grunt at the nickname. "They're just finishing up a... mission." 

"A mission _I_ don't know about?" 

The commander looked outside the window and smiled. "Yep." they nodded enthusiastically. "And I think it's time for you to join them." 

"Shouldn't that be the case right from the start?"

Hange smiled knowingly as they gripped the smaller man's wrist. "Not for this one." they said, before dragging him out the door. 

* * *

Levi is a man who was hard to startle. 

He had seen it all. Death, blood, more death, people getting eaten by giants.... he lived in the underground where some people resort to killing just for a loaf of bread for crying out loud. With what he has been through, it was hard to find something that would faze the veteran soldier. 

But with this, seeing his squad look at him, with happiness and just a bit of uncertainty in their eyes as they greeted him a happy birthday, well one could say he was just a little dumbfounded. 

"What is this?" he asked out.

"A birthday party!" Sasha was the one that answered. 

Eren walked towards him, "We heard that your birthday was today so we all chipped in to celebrate." 

Levi turned to glare at the commander who was standing by the door, the commander in turn avoided his eyes and pretended to be interested in a piece of hardwood by the doorframe. 

"With a few connections here and there and Hange-san's help, we managed to do it." Eren continued. 

Levi's eyes scanned the room where a few decorations were hanged up. He looked at the table where he saw some fruits, pieces of cake along with some beef stew, and... rice. 

"How did you--" Levi didn't manage to finish the question. 

"The meat was the hardest to have a hand on, but the other ingredients were all picked by me by the garden not far from here." Sasha explained. 

Connie nodded, "We had to rely on Hange-san's connections and some places we know in order to negotiate for a cheaper price." 

All of a sudden, everything that happened in the past weeks made sense. Why Sasha asked for his favorite food, what Jean and Connie's conversation was about that one time, and Eren telling him to not make plans for today. 

Well, he must admit he did forget that last part. But in his defense, he just deduced that to Eren just being well... _Eren._

"Um..." Armin spoke up. "Eren, Mikasa, and I were the ones who thought of what we'll get for your present." 

"Present?" 

It was then when he noticed Mikasa holding up a small box. She awkwardly handed it to him, along with an envelope. 

Levi must have stared at the small box in his hands for a while because he suddenly felt the room filled with even more uncertainness.

"It was Eren's idea." Jean pointed out, breaking the tension. 

"Put a sock in it horseface, you all agreed to it." Eren retorted. 

"Because you wouldn't shut your damn mouth." 

"Oh please like you didn't enjoy the trip up the village... Cynthia was it?" Connie teased and pretended to think. 

Jean's face turned beet red, "Cydney... and shut the fuck up." 

"Did she say she wanted a pet horse?" Eren innocently questioned. 

Mikasa rolled her eyes and gripped Jean's shirt before the boy could do damage. 

Levi doesn't know why, but he found himself chuckling. Everyone must have heard it because all of a sudden, everyone went quiet and their eyes were all turned towards their captain. 

The said captain eyed them one by one, and let a small smile crawl on his face. "Thank you, everyone." 

The silence went on but he knows that what he said made them feel at ease, even for just a bit. As his eyes landed on the tall brunette who was fidgeting and staring at the food, he snorted. "Let's eat?" 

With those two words, Sasha basically slumped down on her seat along with everyone else and waited for their captain to get the first bite as a sign of respect. "It's alright, you can start without me. I'll put this in my room first." he said, raising the present. 

Hange put a hand on his shoulder as he walked past them, "They really worked hard for this." 

Levi looked back at the members of his squad, who were serving themselves portions of the food, and Eren serving some in the empty plate that was meant for him. He felt some warmth crawl inside of him at the sight, but didn't let any signs of it show on his face or anywhere in his body. 

"Training would still be the same." Levi scoffed, but found himself doing it half-heartedly. 

Hange must have sensed it too, if the laugh they blurted out were an indication before joining the young soldiers at the table. 

When Levi arrived at his room, he strolled into his bed and sat down on one edge. Looking down at the box in his hands, he carefully peeled off its wrappers. 

And was instantly taken aback. 

Here, laying down on his hand, were two boxes of Chamomile tea leaves. A type of tea herb, which was rare and therefore, expensive. From his knowledge, this was only available for purchase along the insides of Wall Sina. 

_"Make sure to get me a new box of tea, the stack's running out."_

Levi snorted, "Those brats." he muttered out, a little fondly than he meant to let out. 

He then opened up the envelope and found a piece of paper inside. Unfolding it, and placing it near the oil lamp, he recognized the variety of penmanships among the young soldiers. 

_We hope you like the tea, it was hard picking a gift for you but you mentioned that you were running out so we figured, why not? Happy Birthday, Captain!_

\- Armin

_I'm not really good at this but thank you and sorry for you know... everything. Happy Birthday Captain Levi._

\- Mikasa 

_Captain! Hope you liked the stew I cooked. I was glad to hear that was your favorite since it's one of my favorites too, not often we get to eat it, right? Happy Birthday!_

\- Sasha

_Happy Birthday Captain. Throwing you a party wasn't easy but hoped it made you happy somehow. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it._

\- Jean

_Hoped we somehow made you happy, captain. Thank you for looking out for us. Happy Birthday!_

\- Connie

_The party was my idea but these letters are all Armin... anyway, as they all said we hope it somehow made you happy. Thank you for being patient with us, with me especially. Happy Birthday Captain!_

\- Eren

Levi couldn't help the snort that came out of him once he finished reading the messages one by one. He put the boxes of tea on his table and the letter inside a drawer before going back down to join the rest at the dining table. 

When he got there, everyone was in chaos, normally he'll reprimand them for being noisy on the table but he couldn't find it himself to do so. As Hange said, they all worked hard for this. It would be such a shame if it were to end up in an awkward atmosphere just because they were a little rowdy. 

And also, it doesn't bother him as much as it usually did. 

It has been two years since they first joined together to form his new squad after the unfortunate happenings with his old one. They were reluctant and a little intimidated at first but he guesses that was just a normal reaction. Suddenly taking part in a huge assignment and being put under the famous captain's squad _can_ do that, especially since it hadn't even been a full year since they joined the Survey Corps.

I guess desperate times really calls for desperate measures.

But now, after retaking the lands at Wall Maria and partaking in many expeditions throughout those two years together, they all just got used to each other. Even if they were still slightly intimidated, it wasn't as intense as before. They could handle casual conversations with their superior officer and when needed, talk to him about something that troubles them just fine. In return, Levi always listens and engages them, giving out advice as their superior to the best that he can. He even joins them once in a while for meals inside the mess hall in headquarters for lunch instead of with the other veterans. 

He picked up the spoon to start his meal, the rowdiness of his subordinates became background noises to him.

If he were to ask his past self, he certainly didn't really picture himself hanging around a bunch of teenage (or young adult?) brats and have them work for him under his command. 

But as he watched Eren bicker with Jean about something he doesn't know nor care about, and it somehow ending up with Mikasa and Sasha smacking both their heads to get them to stop was when he realizes he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Maybe spending his birthday with them isn't so bad. They're _his_ brats anyway.

...he would rather squeeze his bones to mush before he admits that to anyone though.

**Author's Note:**

> In case it wasn't clear:  
> What I'm imagining the Survey Corps' place is that they have a separate headquarters (the castle in canon) where they all do their meetings, training, and more official shenanigans in the military. Located just a mere 5 minutes away from said headquarters is a private land owned by them where their cabins are located, and that's where they sleep and relax. I just assumed that after they've successfully taken back the land at Wall Maria they were treated with such, ya know? 
> 
> Anyway, this is pretty self-indulgent because while the original Squad Levi is amazing in itself, the new one needs more love too, at least that's what I think. 
> 
> (and plus I need more wholesome fics of them and Levi being a little softie for the 104th soldiers) 
> 
> Hope you liked it!


End file.
